Dimarzio VPAF Hot Early Reviews! Nice Pickup!

STRATDELUXER97

Stratoblaster Tone Meister
Spent quite a bit of time with this pickup after installing it...Didn't measure the dc resistance though? I Left the cover off of this pickup and it's not what I normally do,but the creme bobbins were too pretty to cover up...

Nice round tone with a mixture of lots of lows and a vintage style midrange..The highs cut nice but they aren't spikey at all...A touch of rolloff on the tone control and the pickup is slightly darker...The name of the pickup is perfect also...Vintage PAF type of tone,but hotter and ballsier with alot of output.I Know this review sounds like I'm explaining a 59B pickup,but it's alot ballsier and it has this cool "open" and 3D depth about it..

The overall feel is tight,very clear and articulate on all strings...The pickup is pretty powerful in output and I had to raise my 59N closer to the strings to get a perfect match in output....

Nice fat,warm clean tones,and again almost single coil sounding in it's crystal clear clarity but fatter,and rounder..

With gain....Excellent eq overall,cuts but without ripping your face off and alot of nice warm lows mixed with the highs....This pickup reminds me of a slightly more powerful PGB pickup but it has more lows..

There's this kind of "air" or "breathy" vibe that everyone talks about with these pickups....It's as if the pickup has some extra added space? Hard to explain but 3D does explain what I hear...It's not something I've ever heard with any of my Duncan stuff.. Maybe this is something you Antiquity humbucker users talk about,though this pickup is potted(Potted very well)No microphonics at all...I prefer potted anyway!

Play light and the pickup is really clear,crisp in the highs,nice rich tight warm lows....Dig in and it does the PGB thing and has this really cool slight "sizzle"you hear and it's cool for getting the pick harmonic chirp with an Articulate grinding tone....

The only thing I Miss with this pickup compared to the Fred it replaced,is harmonics...The Fred has about the same output,but it's got more mids and it has nowhere near the lows or the roundness this pickup has!

Nice pickup! Dimarzio is really coming out with some cool stuff and this pickup is worthy of a try for a nice fat,round tone with vintage PAF type mids....Clean,clear,tight,punchy tone and lots of output.....I'll try it tonight with my band?

Probably one of the most articulate pickups I've ever heard in a bridge humbucker,but yet it's nice and fat but still has great chime on top....The mids sit where I Like them,not too scooped and not too peaky...... Kind of a 59 meets a PG but fatter and with more output,but probably has more clarity in the notes...This pickup is very very clear(You hear all of your notes and great note seperation and this is something I always look for when I'm playing.
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Re: Dimarzio VPAF Hot Early Reviews! Nice Pickup!

Great review brother! I've got a set in my McNaught vsc and couldn't be happier with them. They sound awesome both clean and distorted. These pups just might be MY "Holy Grail" :smoker:
 
Re: Dimarzio VPAF Hot Early Reviews! Nice Pickup!

AmpliFIRE said:
Great review brother! I've got a set in my McNaught vsc and couldn't be happier with them. They sound awesome both clean and distorted. These pups just might be MY "Holy Grail" :smoker:

Does my findings match your's?
 
Re: Dimarzio VPAF Hot Early Reviews! Nice Pickup!

Nice review, John. It sounds like it's similar to my PAF, just a little hotter (or overwould). I'm not sure what all the differences are between the PAF and the VPAF models though.
 
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Re: Dimarzio VPAF Hot Early Reviews! Nice Pickup!

I've got a VHPAF and a VPAFn set in my Goldtop. In the 40 years I've been playing, I've never been so satisfied with ANY set of pickups.

I also use the 'regular' VPAF bridge model in my Burns 12 string along with a Pearly Gates in the neck. This is also an excellent combo too.
 
Re: Dimarzio VPAF Hot Early Reviews! Nice Pickup!

ErikH said:
Nice review, John. It sounds like it's similar to my PAF, just a little hotter. I'm not sure what all the differences are between the PAF and the VPAF models though.

The VPAF Hot has more output and a slightly hotter wind basically...Nice pickup right off.....If the eq is right to me from the get go,then I have a very good chance of keeping it in any of my guitars...
 
Re: Dimarzio VPAF Hot Early Reviews! Nice Pickup!

STRATDELUXER97 said:
The VPAF Hot has more output and a slightly hotter wind basically...Nice pickup right off.....If the eq is right to me from the get go,then I have a very good chance of keeping it in any of my guitars...


"Try it, you'll like it!"
 
Re: Dimarzio VPAF Hot Early Reviews! Nice Pickup!

STRATDELUXER97 said:
The VPAF Hot has more output and a slightly hotter wind basically...Nice pickup right off.....If the eq is right to me from the get go,then I have a very good chance of keeping it in any of my guitars...
Looking at the DMZ site, the tone guide is as follows:

VPAF HOT: Treble = 5, Mids = 6.5, Bass = 6.5
VPAF (bridge): Treble = 5, Mids = 6, Bass = 6
PAF: Treble = 6, Mids = 5.5, Bass = 6

They're all within the same vicinity with slight variations to set each one apart, along with the different output levels.

I'm lovin' the PAF. Classic VH though my Marshall all day long. :D Sounds like you're happy so far too.
 
Re: Dimarzio VPAF Hot Early Reviews! Nice Pickup!

ErikH said:
Looking at the DMZ site, the tone guide is as follows:

VPAF HOT: Treble = 5, Mids = 6.5, Bass = 6.5
VPAF (bridge): Treble = 5, Mids = 6, Bass = 6
PAF: Treble = 6, Mids = 5.5, Bass = 6

They're all within the same vicinity with slight variations to set each one apart, along with the different output levels.

I'm lovin' the PAF. Classic VH though my Marshall all day long. :D Sounds like you're happy so far too.

Yep....Judging from how much output the Hot version has,I'd probably like the VPAF model also....I'd bet I'd like that in the neck better than the 59 I have there now? Maybe another double creme in the neck...Cool? :laugh2:
 
Re: Dimarzio VPAF Hot Early Reviews! Nice Pickup!

STRATDELUXER97 said:
Yep....Judging from how much output the Hot version has,I'd probably like the VPAF model also....I'd bet I'd like that in the neck better than the 59 I have there now? Maybe another double creme in the neck...Cool? :laugh2:
You might. The VPAF is Treble: 5.5, Mid: 6, Bass: 5.5. It's a little lower in output than the bridge but not by much. Still looks like a lot of bass for a neck pickup though.
 
Re: Dimarzio VPAF Hot Early Reviews! Nice Pickup!

My findings were the same. Great pickup. Just not different enough from the VPAF neck sound for my tastes. I needed something brighter and I got that in the Bluesbucker.
 
Re: Dimarzio VPAF Hot Early Reviews! Nice Pickup!

Rid said:
I am still looking for DMZ PAF, after hearing VHoholic and Eriks clips I think one of those too:D
Glad you like it John:)
I feel honored to be mentioned in the same sentence as VHololic. :D Even if it is just about the tone.
 
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Re: Dimarzio VPAF Hot Early Reviews! Nice Pickup!

I've been wanting to try one of these VPAFs for a while...I think I'm going to get a VPAF neck and a Duncan Custom setup for my guitar...zebras:)


It's also funny though, that Dimarzio never got much attention for their PAF type pickups before the VPAFs came out as they have a decent selection...although I have no idea how they all sound.

But there are slight differences in the descriptions from their site:

PAF - 50's Humbucker as it would sound new in 1950...
PAF Classic - a covered calibrated set like the PAFs
Air Classic - a mock "aged" version of a 50's humbucker that's a bit smoother
Virtual PAF - a 50's/60's PAF with some type of 3D clarity added
 
Re: Dimarzio VPAF Hot Early Reviews! Nice Pickup!

ranalli said:
I've been wanting to try one of these VPAFs for a while...I think I'm going to get a VPAF neck and a Duncan Custom setup for my guitar...zebras:)


It's also funny though, that Dimarzio never got much attention for their PAF type pickups before the VPAFs came out as they have a decent selection...although I have no idea how they all sound.

But there are slight differences in the descriptions from their site:

PAF - 50's Humbucker as it would sound new in 1950...
PAF Classic - a covered calibrated set like the PAFs
Air Classic - a mock "aged" version of a 50's humbucker that's a bit smoother
Virtual PAF - a 50's/60's PAF with some type of 3D clarity added
Don't forget the PAF Pro. It's medium output and tons of players in the '80's used that one. Early on it was either the Super D or the PAF Pro until some of the other models came out.
 
Re: Dimarzio VPAF Hot Early Reviews! Nice Pickup!

ErikH said:
Don't forget the PAF Pro. It's medium output and tons of players in the '80's used that one. Early on it was either the Super D or the PAF Pro until some of the other models came out.



I think before the Pro came out it was the SuperD and the PAF...but you're right the Pro came out in '86....although I'm not exactly sure how popular it was. It didn't seem quite as popular as the JB or SuperD or even the Duncan '59s.
 
Re: Dimarzio VPAF Hot Early Reviews! Nice Pickup!

ranalli said:
I think before the Pro came out it was the SuperD and the PAF...but you're right the Pro came out in '86....although I'm not exactly sure how popular it was. It didn't seem quite as popular as the JB or SuperD or even the Duncan '59s.
You're right, it was the SuperD and PAF. Now I know why. Man, the PAF just slays any other PAF I've played. Granted, I haven't played a lot of them but it's one of my favs. Which is odd for me because, 1. I'm primarily a Duncan user and 2. It's got an A5 mag and I tend to lean towards A2 mag bridge pickups.
 
Re: Dimarzio VPAF Hot Early Reviews! Nice Pickup!

Thanks for the great review! Seems to confirm what the others have said. Dimarzio seems to have really struck at something with this one!

I too, after Vhoholics and Eriks clips have been looking at the DMZ pafs, I looked at the virtual ones earlier too. The way I've understood is that the virtuals have some sort of "airiness" and "3d" opposed to the more standard paf and air classic, which are "not so smooth" vs. "smooth" to each other. Do you think that I'm right? I'd be putting these pickups in an ESP M-II. It's kind of hard to decide which to get with all these rave sounds and reviews everywhere about all of them!

Cheers, thanks again!
 
Re: Dimarzio VPAF Hot Early Reviews! Nice Pickup!

I'm glad you like it John. You articulated your opinion much better than I can. Also, in my case I find my Vintage 30 isn't so harsh with the new pups so I may not swap it out after all. Vintage toned speaker with vintage toned pups make a nice match!
 
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